The Mystery of the iPhones That Won't Unlock

Used-Phone Resellers Caught Off Guard and Wonder What AT&T Changed

Louis Ashner ran a brisk business buying used phones from Americans and reselling them in China. But one day in early October, it just stopped.

Mr. Ashner, who owns Side Street Technology Inc. in Baton Rouge, La., said he was suddenly unable to "unlock" AT&T Inc. versions of the iPhone in bulk so they could work on other networks....

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The Mystery of the iPhones That Won't Unlock

Business owners throughout the American used-smartphone market are reporting a peculiar problem: an inability to "unlock" AT&T versions of the iPhone in bulk so they could work on other networks. Brian Fitzgerald reports. Photo: Getty.